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Topic: Pickaroon Part 2 (Read 727 times)

Decided I did not want to garbage up Bandmiller 2's thread so am starting a new one.After his thread was started and Cutting Edge Saw Svc, postings in that thread I started rethinking my lack of a pickaroon/hookaroon tool and howuseful one would be.After looking at many ad postings and looking at the history of the two tools it initially seemed that there was no difference just a different name for the same tool. but have decided that is not accurate.

A hookaroon seems to not have anything but a sharp point where the pickaroon has a tooth of some nature. The hookaroon seems much more common.

Hookaroons

Pickaroon

It also seems as if there are a bunch of manufacturers that make the straight sharp end device but only one that makes the tooth end device. Of course that one is sold under many name brands and places but all go back to the one company. Now based upon what Richard posted about and what I found, I think the toothed pickaroon is the only real choice. For the same tool made by the same company I have seen prices for it that are nearly double what it sells for by another vendor all from the same manufacturer.

The problem that I have to decide upon is the length of handle. The short 18" handle which maybe too short or more ideally 24 " if they made it but they don't, would be great for pulling slabs off the mill without the bulk of the longer handle. Have to think about that some more. The other end of that is the longer handle one. They make a 32, 36, and 48 inch handle pickaroon. I think the 32" is too much a compromise of the tool. But the question for those of you that have been using them for a long time would the 36 or the 48 be better. I am thinking the 36" is more versatile as I think the 48 might be too bulky. Of course my cant hooks are 48". So what kind of inputs do you have on the handle length.

For those of you who have posted that you use the tool to flip rounds up onto the splitter I will say the following. Either your rounds are much smaller than mine or you are much stronger with a lot more arm strength than I have. Most of my rounds top out over 100 pounds each for a 16" long bucked round and I can't just flip those up on the splitter.

So what kind of inputs do you have on the handle length.

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Integrity is not just doing the right thing.Integrity is not just doing the right thing when no one is looking.Integrity is doing the right thing when no one else will ever even know.

For those of you who have posted that you use the tool to flip rounds up onto the splitter I will say the following. Either your rounds are much smaller than mine or you are much stronger with a lot more arm strength than I have. Most of my rounds top out over 100 pounds each for a 16" long bucked round and I can't just flip those up on the splitter.

So what kind of inputs do you have on the handle length.

furu,

Can't help you on handle length. I chose mine because of it's intended use, firewood. Being over 6' tall, the longer handle was my personal preference. Also means I can hook a piece of firewood on my extreme left, get it moving and swing it up and over to the splitter on my extreme right. Maybe shift my feet/torso once during this motion and land the round up and onto the splitter or vice versa.

Distance could be 12' total movement for the round. Physics is a wonderful tool. A small amount of momentum is all that is needed to get it started with a gradual increase or force to finish the swing/lift/landing.

Same round would require walking over, bend/squat to get ahold of it, lift and carry back to splitter. Much more labor intensive.

As for strength, I'm far from what I used to be. I dunno about 100# rounds, but I would much rather hook a round, lift straight up with the handle (walking hands down handle) and set on splitter than bend over and lift. Sometimes, there is no choice but to do it with brute strength.

For what it's worth, after many years of intense manual labor on dairy farms I've noticed my strength is higher than most I've worked with even if it doesn't show in huge bulging muscles. This "phenomena" was well known around this area and is called "farm muscle". It's always fun seeing peoples' faces when an unassuming fella can move and lift things the big guy in the group can't. I only bring this up to maybe shed a different light on furu's observations.

Can't help you on handle length. I chose mine because of it's intended use, firewood. Being over 6' tall, the longer handle was my personal preference. Also means I can hook a piece of firewood on my extreme left, get it moving and swing it up and over to the splitter on my extreme right. Maybe shift my feet/torso once during this motion and land the round up and onto the splitter or vice versa.

Distance could be 12' total movement for the round. Physics is a wonderful tool. A small amount of momentum is all that is needed to get it started with a gradual increase or force to finish the swing/lift/landing.

Same round would require walking over, bend/squat to get ahold of it, lift and carry back to splitter. Much more labor intensive.

As for strength, I'm far from what I used to be. I dunno about 100# rounds, but I would much rather hook a round, lift straight up with the handle (walking hands down handle) and set on splitter than bend over and lift. Sometimes, there is no choice but to do it with brute strength.

Clear as mud, right ?

Went back and reread your thread again this morning. It looks like yours is the 36" handle from your post. I am only 6' versus your 6'4". Since you have the 36" do you wish you had the 48" or is the 36" just what you need?

When I get it I will try your technique and see if I can pull it off with such grace and aplomb.

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Integrity is not just doing the right thing.Integrity is not just doing the right thing when no one is looking.Integrity is doing the right thing when no one else will ever even know.

Furu, handle length depends on what your using it for. For you, stand where your going to use the tool with a tape measure in your hand, extend it out like your going to grab a slab or chunk, it should give you an idea of length. Myself it was the standard length of an old pick handle. I use mine for pulling stuff out of a pickup bed mostly. Frank C.